10 Dumbest Decisions In Slasher Movies That Got Characters Killed

Movie fans often gasp in disbelief at the stupidity of horror characters getting killed, but there are several decisions made by characters that have directly led to their respective deaths in horror films. They often ask themselves hypothetical questions about what they’d do in that situation; often, it’s the opposite of what the dead character did. That’s generally because if the characters had common sense, they’d have done the same thing.

The number of horror movie characters who’ve suffered death by stupidity is massive. Whether they ventured out on their own knowing a killer was on the loose, stood around waiting when they should have run, dared to call a killer nasty names to their face, or otherwise, dozens have died when a little intelligence would have saved them. It’s made for some brilliant and even iconic scenes, but it’s sometimes incredibly frustrating to watch.

Related: 10 Most Satisfying Horror Movie Deaths

10 Randy Meeks In Scream 2 (1997)

Taunted Ghostface On The Phone

Starting with a character who nobody expected to make such a silly mistake, Randy Meeks was brutally stabbed to death by Mrs. Loomis in Scream 2. Randy had spent almost all his time in the first two Scream movies advising others how to survive a horror-esque serial killer, but his anger got the better of him when Mrs. Loomis insulted him on the telephone. He mocked her son, Billy Loomis, not knowing it was Billy’s mother on the line. Randy thought he was safe out in the open, but Loomis pushed him into a van and “got a little knife happy.” Nobody ever thought Randy would be so naive.

9 Ranbir Sartain In Halloween (2018)

Dr. Sartain Wanted To Study Michael Myers “In The Wild”

In 2018’s Halloween, audiences were introduced to Dr. Ranbir Sartain, a former student of Samuel Loomis and the psychiatrist dealing with Michael Myers while he was incarcerated. Following Michael’s escape from Smith’s Grove Psychiatric Hospital, it was revealed that Sartain had developed an obsession with Michael and wished to study him “in the wild.” When Frank Hawkins tried to immobilize Michael, Sartain attacked him to prevent him from doing so and revealed he’d orchestrated Michael’s escape. He quickly found that was a stupid thing to do. Before Halloween 2018’s ending, Michael slammed his foot into his head while he was on the ground, crushing him to death.

8 Shack’s Friend In Freddy Vs. Jason (2003)

Prodding Jason In The Chest Isn’t Wise

In Freddy vs. Jason, Freddy Krueger unleashed Jason Voorhees on Elm Street to make the inhabitants remember him so that he could regain his powers. However, Jason’s killing spree made Freddy jealous, as Freddy believed he was stealing his victims. One of the first places Jason went was a rave in a cornfield, where he encountered a character called Shack and his unnamed friend. When the two stoners saw Jason, they mocked him, believing him to be a sizable local farmer. However, when the nameless character went from taunting Jason to poking him in the chest, he quickly realized that it was a mistake when Jason twisted his head 180 degrees.

7 Keith In Barbarian (2022)

Investigating The Creepy Dungeon Alone

A double-booked rental property in Barbarian had a dark secret beneath its floors. Characters Tess and Keith found they’d both been booked into the property on the same night. Tess accidentally locked herself in the basement, which she found led to a room with a stained mattress, a bucket, a video camera, and a bloody handprint. Keith rescued her but stupidly decided to investigate the mysterious subterranean dwelling. It was an act that asked for trouble, and sure enough, the hideously deformed and inbred “Mother” swiftly injured him and, ultimately, murdered him by brutally smashing his head against a wall.

6 Helen Lyle And Bernadette Walsh In Candyman (1992)

Helen & Bernadette Didn’t Listen To The Urban Legend

Candyman told the story of a vengeful spirit who killed anyone who spoke his name five times in front of a mirror. In the film, semiotics graduate Helen Lyle learned of the story while studying urban legends. Foolishly, she tested the Candyman story’s validity by standing in front of a mirror and repeating the name five times. Even more foolishly, she had her friend Bernadette Walsh do it with her. Of course, Bernadette was murdered on a subsequent visit to Helen’s apartment, and Helen later died while saving a boy from immolation at the Candyman’s hands. All they had to do was not say his name five times.

5 The Police In Black Christmas (1974)

Leaving Jess Alone With The Killer Still On The Loose

The Canadian slasher movie Black Christmas centered on a sorority plagued by a serial killer during the festive season. When the film’s final girl, Jess Bradford, killed her boyfriend, Peter, believing him to be the killer, the police arrived to find her barely conscious, having also endured a battle with the actual killer, Billy. They left Jess alone at the crime scene without further investigation, and it turned out the killer was still in the attic. Billy descended the attic ladder in Black Christmas‘ ending with Jess alone in the house. While her imminent death wasn’t depicted on screen, it was teased, and it was the stupidity of the police that caused it.

4 Darry Jenner In Jeepers Creepers (2001)

Darry Williningly Got Himself Stuck In The Killer’s Lair

Jeepers Creepers began with siblings Trish and Darry Jenner on a road trip, traveling home for spring break. They encountered an aggressive truck driver, who they later saw dumping what appeared to be a body down a pipe at an abandoned church. Darry convinced Trish to drive back there, where they heard noises from the pipe. Foolishly, Darry decided to investigate and went into the pipe, where he fell into what turned out to be the Creeper’s lair of corpses. As well as exposing himself to the nightmarish spectacle, he put himself on the Creeper’s radar. The Creeper relentlessly pursued the siblings and, ultimately, killed Darry to obtain his eyes.

3 Helen Shivers In I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Helen Could’ve Run To Safety While Being Chased

I Know What You Did Last Summer followed four students who, having believed they killed a man, dumped the body, only to find he was alive and stalking them a year later. One of those students, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Helen Shivers, witnessed her stalker killing a man during the 4th of July celebrations and ran to her family’s store, where she saw her sister being killed. She escaped into the street and, despite seeing the parade just a few yards away, inexplicably decided to look back instead of running towards it into the safety of the public, allowing the killer to slash her to death with his hook.

2 Tatum Riley In Scream (1996)

Trying To Fit Through A Pet Section Of The Garage Door Wasn’t A Good Plan

Randy Meeks has a set of rules in the Scream franchise on how not to behave when a killer’s on the loose, but few listened. One person who didn’t listen to Randy was Tatum Riley, who died at Billy Loomis’ hands in the first movie. During a party, which was asking for trouble to begin with, Tatum went to the garage to get beers alone. There, Ghostface was waiting for another victim. Tatum mocked him, not believing he was the actual killer. When he attacked her, her final mistake was trying to escape the garage through the pet exit on the garage door. Ghostface activated the electric garage door, crushing her.

1 Julius In Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

Julius Was No Match For A Fight Against Jason

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan followed killer Jason Voorhees to New York City’s Manhattan, where he wreaked havoc on the grimy 1980s streets. One character he came into conflict with was a young boxer called Julius, which culminated in a confrontation on a rooftop. Julius repeatedly punched Jason in the face and body, staggering him and pushing him closer to the edge of the roof. He’d have sent Jason plummeting to the ground with a couple more punches, but exhaustion kicked in. At that point, Julius stupidly told Jason to “take your best shot,“ so the super-strong, undead monster punched Julius’ head clean off.